Review: ‘Triggered’ hits a nerve, both good and bad.

Posted by Liz Whittemore on Nov 4, 2020 | 0 comments

SYNOPSIS: Nine friends, all harboring a dark secret, go camping in the woods. After a wild night of partying, they wake up with SUICIDE BOMBS strapped to their chests, all with varying times on their countdown clocks. They decide to work out how to disarm the bombs or find help – until they discover they can ‘take’ one another’s time by killing each other.

The first 13 minutes of Triggered are kind of loathsome. 9 characters who feel very generic and superficial, that I could not care less about quite frankly. Cliche nerd, shy girl, jock, aggressive alpha, slut, generic girlfriend, the dreamer, and the closet case are partying in the woods, which in and of itself never works out well.  I had little hope until the film dives headfirst into one of the craziest, full-on wacky plots, that is unapologetically violent and heavy on the gore.  The tongue-in-cheek dialogue starts off shaky in the beginning but undeniably embraces the absurdity about midway through. Had the puns and over-the-top lines gone full in from the get-go, we’d be having a completely different conversation here. Closer to the finale, once characters settle into the epic madness, those are the moments that will stick with you. It felt like a sharp left turn that was welcomed but uneven. All of that out of the way, the practical fx are boundary-pushing yuck. For genre fans, this is a win.

The ensemble’s acting drastically improves as the film marches on. I must, must, must give a much-earned shout out to actor Russell Crous. His total commitment to being completely insane, ala Christian Bale in American Psycho, is slow clap worthy. Bale’s character is literally referenced in the film by name; a moment where that sharp witty dialogue written by David D. Jones makes you genuinely grin. Crous is someone to watch. He could easily be a big star if he continues to take every role so seriously. His boldness ultimately makes this film as fun to watch as it is. Triggered will make you cringe in both plot and dialogue but that’s the very point. Pop some popcorn, kick up your heels, don’t think too hard, be happy you don’t have a suicide bomb strapped to your chest, and enjoy.

WATCH THE TRAILER: 

Samuel Goldwyn Films will release the thriller/action/horror film, TRIGGERED On Digital and On Demand November 6, 2020. 

TRIGGERED stars Sean Cameron Michael (“Black Sails,” The Mummy), Liesl Ahlers (Friend Request, Daylight) and Reine Swart (The Lullaby, Detour). The film was directed by Alastair Orr (House on Willow Street, Indigenous) and written by David D. Jones, making his feature screenwriting debut.